1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for locking seat and lids of a toilet and, more particularly, is concerned with a releasable lid and seat locking apparatus which facilitates thorough cleaning and security of the toilet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A toilet of well-known construction and employed in most homes has a bowl installed upon the bathroom floor, a flush tank located rearwardly and above the bowl and in flow communication with the bowl, a seat overlying an open top of the bowl and a cover or lid overlying the seat. The toilet seat and lid are typically pivotally mounted on a portion of the bowl rearwardly from its open top by a hinge assembly which includes an elongated shaft and a plurality of mounting brackets and seat and lid brackets. The mounting brackets are typically fastened on the upper surface of the rearward portion of the bowl. The seat brackets are fixedly attached to the rear edge portion of the seat while the lid brackets are fixedly attached to the rear edge portion of the lid. The mounting brackets and the seat and lid brackets having respective passages which are alignable to receive the shaft therethrough. By the use of such hinge assembly, the seat and lid are coupled to the bowl for undergoing pivotal movement between a lowered position in which they cover the open top of the bowl and a raised position in which they uncover the open top of the bowl and lean backwards against the front wall of the toilet flush tank.
The toilet of the above-described construction has been highly successful from a functional and commercial standpoint as evidenced by its widespread acceptance and use. However, this toilet construction has several drawbacks.
A first drawback is the difficulty of thoroughly cleaning the top surface region of the bowl around the mounting brackets and under the elongated shaft of the hinge assembly which pivotally mounts the seat and lid to the bowl. As a result, unsanitary conditions often arise and persist on this region of the bowl.
A second drawback is the ease by which even small children can lift the seat and lid. This is due to the lightweight materials used to construct these components of the toilet. Oftentimes an uncovered toilet bowl presents an attraction for small children to either fall or throw objects into the bowl and an opportunity for pets to drink water from the bowl. It is highly desirable to prevent both of these situations from happening.
Numerous locking devices have been proposed in the prior art to overcome the second but not the first drawback. Representative examples of these locking devices are the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Smith (4,658,447), Gardner (4,724,551), Boucher et al (4,833,737) and Buchshaw et al (4,894,870). However, none of these locking devices provides a comprehensive solution which overcomes both drawbacks.
Consequently, a need still exists for a toilet seat and lid locking arrangement which effectively addresses both of the above-described drawbacks.